Why Multilingual Support is a Must-Have for Your eCommerce Business

The main reason your customers turn to support is to explain difficult issues when shopping or post-purchasing. Trying to do so in a non-native language only compounds frustrations. But speaking their language brings far more advantages than simply avoiding frustrations. 

1. Improving Communication & Fostering Deeper Connections

While eCommerce website translation is crucial, translating digital content alone might not be sufficient. Your customers need more than being able to understand your offerings. They demand assistance and support at every stage of their journey, from pre-purchase to post-sale. 

• At the pre-purchase stage, supporting your customers through effective communication directly impacts their decision-making. Being there for them to support their inquiries about product specifications, features, availability, or pricing is what informs their decision-making and entices them to take action. 
• Even during purchase, connecting with them in their mother language streamlines order fulfillment. It shows you care to solve the issues they might encounter along the way while navigating the website, adding products to their cart, or completing the checkout process pushing them forward to completing the purchase. 
• Your support never stops at the purchase stage as long as you aim at building a base of loyal customers. Even after making the purchase, customers might need assistance with delivery issues or maybe with return or exchange. Turning a blind eye when customers are most vulnerable post-purchase risks damaging your connection with them forever. 

The ONLY common and indispensable factor throughout the entire customer journey is clear communication. Without it, the customer experience is incomplete, with each stage missing a crucial piece.

Still not convinced? Well, let’s look at the facts!

• Studies show that a minimum of 60% of buyers expect customer service to be in their native language when contacting customer service.
• Additionally, 75% of customers are more inclined to repurchase from a brand if customer support is in their native tongue. While this inclination is more prominent among those with LEP (limited English proficiency), 60% of individuals who are proficient English readers still prefer their first language.
• More than 69% of consumers think it is extremely or very important that brands offer an end-to-end customer experience in their native language.

2. Maximizing Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty

Do you remember the last time you had a bad customer service experience? How did it make you feel about the brand? 

If you’ve been lucky enough to not encounter this, let us tell you what it’s like from a customer standpoint. Simply put, poor customer service means your customers’ needs are not fully addressed, which leaves them feeling less valued and consequently unsatisfied and frustrated. 

Communication barriers in customer support stir the same emotions for your customers. And unfortunately, losing your customers’ satisfaction is the first domino to fall. From there, it’s harder to retain existing customers and attract new ones. You even risk reduced impact in target markets over time.

Supporting your customers with customer services in their native language makes sure you never experience this. It even has the potential to maximize your customers’ satisfaction and foster their loyalty as it demonstrates your respect for inclusivity and insistence on supporting them every step of the way. Here is proof: 

In a recent survey, 70% of respondents reported that they feel more loyal to companies that offer customer support in their native tongue. What’s more, research revealed that after a positive customer service experience:

• 66% of customers would be more loyal
• 65% are more willing to recommend the company
• 48% would spend more money

3. Boosting Customer Retention Rates

Online shoppers expect to have easy and instant access to the information they need in their first language. If this is not what they get, they click away, and you lose them forever. 

29% of businesses that don’t offer multilingual customer support say they’ve lost customers. Also, it’s reported that 1 in 6 shoppers will abandon their purchase due to poor service. Meanwhile, 60% of those who improved customer service quality enjoyed better retention rates. 

But while poor customer experiences can drive your audience away, positive ones can foster a strong emotional connection with your audience. And there is nothing more powerful than establishing a relationship using your first language.

Localization gives you the privilege of speaking your customer’s language, leading to an easy, genuine interaction that pays attention to their cultural sensitivities. It helps you gain their trust and offers them a memorable experience that they love to repeat over and over again, which significantly boosts retention rates.

4. Strengthening Your Competitiveness

Multilingual customer support could also give you a competitive advantage, helping you stand out from your peers in the market. Because it demonstrates your company’s commitment to delivering a friendly experience that respects your audience’s diversity. 

Shoppers desire customer-centered service where they feel heard and valued, and not everyone offers this. This means that access to multilingual support could be a unique asset that sets you apart from competitors.

Check these numbers to know how the quality of your customer support can help you stand out in your target market. 

• 35% of users would switch to a competitor’s product if they offered support in their native tongue.
• 90% of buyers will spend more with companies that personalize customer service.

61% of consumers choose a competitor after one bad experience, and 76% leave after two negative ones.